Fallen Hard
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: After her father dies, Nicole withdraws from the rest of the survivors, so Terry tries to come up with a way to get her to cheer up and invents a strange form of hockey.


Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. All of the stores mentioned in this story, with the exception of Hallowed Grounds (from the movie) are stores from the mall that I go to, so they don't belong to me either. 

A/N: So, here is yet another author's note for yet another _Dawn of the Dead _story and I still haven't got tired of writing them. I hope you guys feel the same way and, judging by the wonderful reviews, you do. Since I've dome mostly romance and angsty drama stories, here's a little yarn that is a bit more humorous. Let me know what you think, please read and review. And I know it's not the best title but...oh well. 

Dusk had fallen once again, enveloping Crossroads Mall and the surrounding town into dimness, which would soon bleed into complete darkness, the new moon doing little to penetrate the blackness. The florescent lights that hung in the ceiling filled the mall with sterile brightness but no one was complaining; a world without light was unthinkable. 

Everyone that had gathered a Crossroads to escape the creatures outside now milled around the coffee stand, Hallowed Grounds, which was their unofficial meeting area and hang out, cleaning up the remains from another dinner, with the exception of Nicole, the youngest survivor, who hadn't emerged from the Gap clothes store since her father had been killed two days ago. She couldn't be coaxed out for anything by anyone so everyone had pretty much given up on her, Steve being the most vocal about this fact, except for Terry, who found himself thinking of the redhead as he helped the blonde nurse, Ana, gathered up the paper plates from the counter of Hallowed Grounds. 

"Maybe we should try and get Nicole to come out again and eat something." Terry said as he dumped his stack of plates in the garbage can they had taken out of Linens N' Things a couple of days ago. "She hasn't eaten in almost three days." 

Ana offered him an understanding, but somewhat condescending smile and said, "I don't think she feels much like eating. She's still upset about her father." She discarded her plates as well, the trashcan lid clinging down, a noise which echoed through the almost empty mall. 

"But she has to eat." Terry protested weakly, ignoring the look that Kenneth shot him, a look he couldn't quite really explain but understood nonetheless. With those things out there, it wouldn't do anyone any good to get too attached to any of the refugees in the mall; at least, that was how Kenneth was acting. "Maybe I should take her some food." There was plenty of dinner left over, no one felt much like eating either. 

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "Go right ahead." He said in a patronizing way that made Terry hate him even more. "But don't be surprised if she's not one of those things; she probably got scratched or bite or gnawed on or whatever but didn't tell us and now she's locked herself in one of those stores just waiting for someone to go check on her." He paused and smiled. 

At his words, Andre looked up, with a strange look on his face that confused both Ana and Terry, who were the only ones who saw it. He seemed to panic slightly at Steve's words but remained silent, eyes busily watching all of the faces around him. Terry narrowed his eyes at Steve but didn't say anything, simply picking up an unused paper plate and piling it with an assortment of sandwiches, which they had taken from one of the delis in the food court. 

Without a word, he took the plate and headed for the Gap store, where Nicole had been in last time he had tried to get her to come out. The doors were closed but the lights were on, so Terry figured she was still inside and for a moment, he debated knocking against the glass doors but then decided just to go inside. The doors swung open easily enough, but there was no sign of Nicole amidst the clothes filled racks and shelves. "Nicole?" He called out, wondering for a brief moment if Steve was right. 

Terry didn't have to wonder long because Nicole mumbled back a reply, which dispersed any thought of her having become one of those creatures. They had decided long ago that the creatures couldn't speak or function like the humans they had once been. "Go away." Her reply was muffled but clear nonetheless. 

"Nicole, it's me. Terry." He added on second thought and stepped inside the store, letting the door swing silently shut behind him. He looked around for any sign of her but couldn't find any. "I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you something to eat." 

This time, there was no reply, only the rustle of clothes on their hangers. Terry followed the sound and found Nicole sitting on the floor, her back against one of the clothes filled shelves, knees drawn up to her chin and her arms wrapped around them. She had changed out of the shirt she had been wearing the day she and her father had arrived into a hockey jersey that had no doubt come from one of the hangers, with her old clothes neatly folded a few feet away from her. 

Nicole didn't look up when Terry approached, staring down at the floor; her eyes were puffy from crying, red and swollen but he thought she still looked beautiful. "I didn't know what kind of sandwiches you liked, so I brought different kinds." He added, stepping closer to her, holding the paper plate out to her. 

"I'm not hungry." Nicole informed him, still not looking over, her red hair falling across her cheeks and masking her face with shadows. 

Terry set the plate down on the floor, since he could think of nothing else to do. "Nicole, you haven't eaten anything in a while." He gently prodding, giving her a soft smile that she didn't look up to see. 

"I'm not hungry." Nicole repeated, more firmly this time and Terry realized that getting her to eat was a lost cause for the time being. She peeked out from behind her hair, round eyes studying him; she looked lost and frightened and Terry wished there was something he could do about that. He sat down on the floor next to her; Nicole watched him but remained silent, accepting his company without compliant. 

"So," Terry trailed off, trying not to lapse into awkward silence as he tried to think of something to say to her. Unable to think of nothing else, he said, "You a big hockey fan?" Even to him it sounded stupid and judging by the look Nicole gave him, she thought so as well. He gestured to her shirt. "You're wearing a hockey jersey." Terry clarified. 

Nicole shrugged. "I used to go to games with my father..." Now it was her turn to trail off and she looked away from him, no doubt concealing the tears that had filled her eyes at the mention of her dead father. 

"Look, Nicole I'm really-" Terry began, in the most comforting tone he could muster at the moment when he was so taken with the way her strawberry hair brushed against the pale skin on the back of her neck. 

"Sorry." Nicole finished for him with a sneer in her voice. He was certain that would be one on her face if she turned around. "You're sorry, everybody's sorry. But sorry doesn't bring him back does it? And it doesn't change things." She took a deep breath, as though to calm herself down. "Would you just go, Terry?" It wasn't really a request. 

Terry stood up reluctantly, but he figured he didn't really have any other choice. With a final glance at the girl, he retreated from the store and headed back to Hallowed Grounds, where most of the group was still lounging about. Andre had vanished, as had the truck driver Norma, but everyone else was amusing themselves in some way; Michael and Ana were standing by the counter, talking and laughing, so close their shoulders were touching. Steve was trying out his best pickup lines on the curly-haired Monica, who looked ready to laugh in his face, even though he didn't seem to mind. No one noticed Terry when he returned until he sat in one of the bar stools beside Ana. 

Ana looked over at him. "Any luck?" She questioned, noticing that the plate of food hadn't made the trip back, which she took as a good sign. 

Terry sighed and shook his head. "No. She wouldn't talk to me, she barely even looked at me." He frowned. "I just don't know what to do." He didn't expect anyone to understand what was bothering him and so he mumbled the last part. 

Ana offered him a sympathetic smile and patted his shoulder. "She's just upset about losing her family. I know how she feels." She frowned as she spoke, sorrow filling her ocean colored eyes and Terry realized just how much they had all been through. When would there ever be any relief, a light at the end of the tunnel? 

It was Michael's turn to offer Ana an understanding smile, resting his hand on top of hers. "Nicole just needs to be cheered up some how, she needs to forget for a while about what happened otherwise she'll never come out of that store." He paused, considering. "Though I don't know how you could cheer someone up at a time like this." 

Terry rested his chin in the palms of his hands and considered what Michael had just said; he had to think of some way to cheer Nicole up, but he barely knew her, so how was he supposed to do that? 

The idea came to him so suddenly that he almost missed it all together. But it stuck with him nonetheless and he slid off the bar stool so quickly that he almost lost his footing and crashed to the floor. Ana turned to look at him, eyebrow raised, a confused look on her face. "Terry, what's wrong with you?" She questioned and Michael looked at him as well. 

"I think I just figured out a way to get Nicole to cheer up a little." Terry answered before tearing off toward Sports N' More, the only store that sold recreational equipment in Crossroads. 

Ana watched him disappear into the store and then shook her head, a slight smile on her face. "It must be nice to be able to forget everything that's going on for a little while." She remarked to Michael. 

"I don't think he's forgetting." Michael mused. "Just trying to move past it." He didn't see how anyone could ever forget about the things outside, not even for a little while, but it was obvious that Terry had replaced thoughts of the creatures with thoughts of Nicole. 

When Terry returned, he was empty handed and defeated. "What kind of sports store doesn't carry hockey sticks?" He questioned as he returned to the counter, looking for forlorn then he had before. 

"Hockey sticks?" Ana repeated. "Why do you need hockey sticks?" 

"Nicole told me that she used to go to hockey games with her father, so I thought that if we had our own hockey game that she might cheer up a little." 

Ana thought about what he said and pictured them playing hockey across the entire bottom floor of Crossroads and a smile spread across her face. "You know, that would be really fun." Her eyes sparkled at the prospect. 

Michael watched her and believed that was the first time he had ever seen her smile since he had known her. She was even more beautiful when she smiled, he realized. "I bet there's something else we can use for hockey sticks." He suggested, fueled by the smile on Ana's face. Who knew how long it would be before she smiled again. 

"Like what?" Terry questioned. This was something he hadn't thought about; he had given up on his plan when he could find sticks or a puck. 

Ana answered before Michael could even think of something to say. "We could use brooms from the janitor's closet." She offered. "And a book from the bookstore as the puck." 

Terry smiled as well. "That might just work." He agreed. "And we could set up goals at opposite ends of the mall; we'll need two teams." 

Michael slipped off his stool and said, "I'll get the brooms, Ana you get the book and see if you can get the others to play. Terry, you go get Nicole." He commanded and the other two went off to do as he said. 

Terry entered the Gap store once again, heading over to where Nicole had been only minutes earlier and was surprised to see that she had vanished, as had the plate filled with sandwiches. "Nicole?" He called, peering around the displays and shelves. 

Nicole was sitting behind the counter, slowly eating one of the sandwiches and staring ahead, looking lost in deep thought. She turned around when she heard Terry approach and swallowed the bite of sandwich she was currently chewing on. "What?" She questioned, not unkindly and set the sandwich down. 

"Michael, Ana and I thought it would be fun to have a hockey game. Well, sort of a hockey game since we don't have actual sticks or a puck but anyway, you should come play with us." Terry offered, smiling at her and hoping that she was accept. He didn't know what he would do if she refused, he hadn't thought that far. 

Nicole shook her head. "I don't like hockey anymore." She informed him. "But thanks anyway. Have fun." There was no sincerity in her voice whatsoever. She turned away from him once again. 

Terry sighed. "Nicole, please, it'll be fun." He pressed. "I need another person on my team and you're the only one left to ask." He hoped that Steve, Monica and the others would refuse to play, which seemed likely, but he hoped even more that his words would be able to convince the redhead. When she remained silent, he tried again. "C'mon, Nicole, you've got to come out of here some time." 

"I don't want to play." Nicole said, with less conviction then she had used when she had spoken earlier. 

Terry sensed the uncertainty in her voice and realized now was as good a time as any to actually get her a come out, one way or the other. He stepped closer to her, grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet, despite her protests. "You're going to play. Or at least you're going to come out and watch; staying in here isn't good for you." Terry insisted, holding her as she tried to wrestle away from him. He couldn't bare the thought of Nicole staying in the Gap store until she died of starvation or went slowly crazy from the isolation and the sounds from outside. It was much easier to hear them when you were alone. 

"Let go of me." Nicole snapped, trying to pull away from him. "I don't want to go out there." She didn't want to see the man who had killed her father, or receive all the falsely sympathetic looks from the others. All she wanted to do was be alone, because that was the truth in the whole situation: her entire family was dead, her friends were dead, she was all alone. 

Against his better judgment, Terry hefted Nicole over his shoulder, not at all surprised by how light she was, and carried her out of the store, despite her more violent protests. "I'm not letting you die in this store." He grunted as Nicole demanded for what seemed like the hundredth time that he put her down. After he spoke, Nicole seemed to give up fighting him and allowed herself to be carried over to Hallowed Grounds, where everyone was already staring at them, intrigued by her shouts. 

When they arrived, Terry set Nicole down and ignored the look she gave him. "Okay," He panted, looking at Michael and Ana. "She's here." 

Michael raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, simply looking over at Ana, who had a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Okay, no one else wants to play, so it'll just be a two on two game." He began, handing each of them one of the frayed brooms he had recovered from the janitor's closet. 

Nicole took the broom sullenly and said nothing, watching as Michael and Terry moved aside the two tables that sat outside Hallowed Grounds and used them to make two goals, placed at opposite ends of the mall. Monica and Steve also watched, less interested with what was going on then Nicole was. 

Then the goals had been set up and the playing field cleared and created, Ana and Nicole joined the men in the middle of the 'court'. Ana set the heavy hardback book she had chosen from the store in the middle of them. "Okay, it'll be Michael and I against you two." She gestured to Terry and Nicole as she said this. "Whoever is the first to score five points wins." She was pleased with the way she had taken control and how everyone was listening to her. Throughout her entire life, no one had ever really listened or took her seriously; people saw her as the person they could walk over to get what they really wanted. 

"I don't want to play." Nicole repeated, with less force and expression then she had exhibited earlier. She had been relieved to see that Kenneth wasn't anywhere around, which made it a little easier to bare; she wasn't ready to face the man that had pressed the muzzle of a gun against her father's forehead and had pulled the trigger without a second thought. 

The other three ignored her, only because they knew that responding wouldn't do any good for either of them. "You guys can have possession of the puck." Michael offered, since it was, after all, Terry's idea to play at all. 

Terry nodded and looked over at Nicole. "Go ahead, Nicole, you can start." He suggested but knew that Nicole wouldn't do any such thing. Just as he had suspected, Nicole did nothing but stare, first down at the book, and then up at him. 

"I'm not going to play." She informed him, her chin raised in defiance, eyes daring him to do something about it. 

Terry sighed, suddenly getting impatient with the girl whom he had worried so much about over the past couple of days. "Nicole, just play the goddamn game!" He snapped, whacking the book as hard as he possibly could with the broom he held. 

Though he had only meant to send the book sliding across the floor, toward Michael and Ana, but the force of the blow sent the book sailing into the air, slamming into one of the closed glass doors in front of another clothes store and shattering the glass. Everyone turned in the direction the book had gone and stared at the shattered glass with wide eyes, no one more surprised then Terry. 

Without warning, Nicole suddenly started laughing, dropping her broom so she could cover her mouth with her hands, trying to stifle the laughter. Terry turned to face her and smiled, as though he had never expected to actually hear her laughing. 

It took Nicole a while to get herself under control, and Ana knew exactly how she felt; when something terrible happened, you never expected to life again and when you actually do, it's such a surprise that you feel like you're never going to be able to stop again. It was the same with crying. 

After Nicole's laughter had subsided, Terry retrieved the book from the amidst the silvers of glass and they managed to resume their game. Terry and Nicole's team was easily beaten by Ana and Michael, because Nicole was still laughing a bit too hard to play and Terry couldn't concentrate on the game because he was too busy watching her. Watching her eyes sparkle with mirth where there had once been tears, easily charmed by her smile and the way she laughed as she tried to swat the book with the frayed broom she held. Everything about Nicole was beautiful and Terry couldn't get past that fact long enough to actually play the game. 

It was during the moment that Nicole managed to wrestle the 'puck' away from Ana long enough to score a goal that Terry realized that he wasn't falling in love with her. He had already fallen. And hard. 

Michael decided that the losing team had to replace their 'equipment' as he offered to treat Ana to a cappuccino, an offer that she accepted readily. As Terry gathered up the brooms they had used for sticks, he noticed Nicole studying him with a slight smile on her face. He turned to face her, feeling slightly embarrassed and questioned, "What?" 

Nicole didn't answer but walked over to him and gave him a slight kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for everything." She said, almost shyly, before hurrying to return her broom to the janitor's closet. 

Terry watched Nicole disappear, still feeling her gentle, warm lips against his cheek and smiled. He'd have to play broom hockey more often. 


End file.
